Join us to see just how easy it is to make your own wine, at home or on site at Curds and Wine! We will go through all of the basic steps of making wine from kits, from start to bottle. This will be an interactive demonstration, you will have an opportunity to take part in winemaking steps hands-on. This demonstration will take about 2 hours, and then you can start your own wine!

Looking for a special holiday gift? Bring your favorite winemaker-to-be and surprise them with a Holiday Special Winemaking Gift Certificate! Details at http://www.curdsandwine.com/blog/2015-holiday-special-wine-and-cider-making-gift-certificates/

WHAT IS A WALKABOUT?The South Park Walkabout is a quarterly fun-filled evening festival that showcases all the unique and independent businesses within South Park. Enjoy complimentary treats, live entertainment and special offers.

WHERE IS THE WALKABOUT?The Walkabout highlights both the south and north end of the South Park business district. The north end of our district starts at Kalmia and 30th St. and extends to the south end at Beech and 30th Street.
A few ways to get to South Park –

Take 5 South to 94 East to the 28th Street exit. Turn right on 28th and then right on Beech Street

Take 5 North to the Pershing Drive exit. Turn right on 26th Street. Head up the hill and make a left on A Street. Another left on 28th Street and a final right on Beech Street.

Take 805 South or North to 94 West and exit on 28th Street. Turn right onto 28th Street and right onto Beech Street

The 30th Street and Beech Street corridor is the south end of South Park. If you turn left on 30th and head North toward Grape Street and Juniper Street you can easily access the north end of South Park. This stretch is roughly 10 blocks and totally walkable or bikeable for those who prefer, however please keep in mind it gets a little hilly when heading north.

Get ready for the 6th Annual SoNo Fest and Chili Cook-Off! This year promises to be even bigger and better with a fierce Chef competition for best chili, a larger beer garden, re-imagined kids zone, more local artisan craft vendors and live music on two stages!

Free event; $20 for a hand-crafted ceramic bowl and 5 restaurant chili tastings. This is a parent volunteer organized event and benefits the kids at McKinley Elementary School!

San Diego Local Fisheries Event: Celebrating Passage of AB226, Pacific to Plate

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed new legislation this October to streamline the permitting and operation of direct, local fishermen’s markets in California. Dubbed the “Pacific to Plate” bill and sponsored by Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), AB 226 allows fishermen’s markets to operate as food facilities, vendors to clean their fish for direct sale, and multiple fishermen to organize a market under a single permit. The process to develop a bill started a result of the success of the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego which opened on August 2, 2014 and initially received temporary permitting to test out the viability of the local seafood market. In its first months, the market averaged an impressive 350 customers and 1.1 tons of seafood sold each week, generating about $15,000 in direct sales.

This policy win for local fisheries statewide was an outcome of a collaborative effort led by County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health between the founders of Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, County Supervisor Cox and his staff, Port Commissioner Bob Nelson, the Unified Port of San Diego, California Sea Grant, NOAA, California Restaurant Association, The Maritime Alliance, California Coastal Conservancy, the local media, and Speaker Toni Atkins. AB 226 was introduced by Atkins in February 2015 and received unanimous support in the California Assembly and Senate. It was a win-win for both California’s thriving local food movement and small business owners.

Peter Halmay, Member of Fishermen’s Market Working Group, expects the new permits will lead to more fishermen transferring their direct sales from small, off-boat operations to bustling markets in California’s coastal communities. “I see one in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Half Moon Bay – all of them have some form of market. All of [these fishermen] will be able to look at this legislation and say, ‘Hey, we exist.’”

The San Diego Food System Alliance is thrilled about the presence of a local fishermen’s market which connects consumers directly to the fishermen and their catch, as well as the policy win which supports fishermen’s markets statewide. Please join us in celebrating the bill and the local fisheries industry in San Diego!

Program

Registration 3:00-3:15pmOpening Remarks by Supervisor Greg Cox and Peter Halmay, Member of Fishermen’s Market Working Group 3:15-3:30pmPanel Discussion: Sustainable seafood: Strategies for all of us 3:30-4:30pmFood + Networking 4:30-6:00pm

Panel Discussion

Sustainable seafood: Strategies for all of us

Definitions of “sustainable seafood” often focus on the guidelines and regulations for fisheries and aquafarms that are set by international groups, domestic government agencies, and external groups (e.g., NGOs, Certifications) because they are predicted to lead to sustainability, such as limiting catch amounts, and reducing by-catch and environmental impacts. Many day to day decisions made by producers and consumers influence the actual types and amounts of seafood produced and so also strongly influence sustainability. We therefore propose that, within the regulatory bounds, there are many strategies that producers, consumers and others within our local food system can take to contribute to sustainability. These strategies may include actions that diversify the seafood produced in fisheries and farms, shorten seafood supply chains, encourage transparency in food sources and pathways, and that support and increase interactions with local fisherman and aquafarmers. It therefore makes sense that we inform and empower people throughout the whole food system to make their own decisions about sustainability tactics. With this panel of people working across the food system, we will begin a conversation of the types of strategies that consumers, producers, and others in the food system can follow in making informed sustainability decisions.

In association with San Diego Amateur Winemakers’ Society, Curds and Wine will be hosting bi-monthly home winemakers’ seminars. These seminars are held every even numbered month on the third Saturday at 1 pm. Seminars are given by Lum Eisenman, a winemaking guru that we are lucky to have in the San Diego area. Lum will share his expertise on various winemaking techniques and issues. This month Lum will discuss “Filtration, Stabilization and Bottling”.

These seminars are free, but limited to 20 people. If you are interested in participating, please RSVP.